If your websites or Plesk server are experiencing an outage (such as 504 Gateway Time-out), following along for a resolution!
It is always mandatory to create a backup before making any changes to any server. If you do not have a backup: Purchase the IONOS Cloud Backup, follow the installation instructions, and complete a manual backup (video).
Table of Contents
1.a Check Domain Error Logs
1.b Google the Error
3. Analyze and Optimize Databases
If you’re not able to access your server via Plesk or SSH(Linux)/RDP(Windows), you may access using the VNC console, KVM console, Remote console, or serial console provided by your host.
IONOS Remote Console (new VPS): https://www.ionos.com/help/index.php?id=5341
IONOS KVM Console (Cloud Servers): https://www.ionos.com/help/index.php?id=2303
IONOS VNC Console (Dedicated Servers): https://www.ionos.com/help/index.php?id=2291
IONOS Legacy/Value Servers offer Serial Console connection information under Servers & Cloud. Windows Servers can access Command Prompt following this guide: https://www.ionos.com/help/index.php?id=1870
1.a Check Domain Error Logs
If you’re able to login to Plesk, I would recommend starting with browsing through domain logs. You may follow this guide for accessing the domain’s logs in Plesk:
In the top right corner of Logs you can filter logs by Error and/or Warning by clicking the down icon next to the dropdown list (All logs by default).
You can also access error logs via CLI:
Apache error logs:
tail -n 30 /var/www/vhosts/example.com/logs/error_log
nginx error logs:
tail -n 30 /var/www/vhosts/example.com/logs/proxy_error_log
Windows server error logs:
type %plesk_dir%\admin\logs | more
%plesk_dir% would be the directory Plesk is installed in, such as C:\Program Files (x86)\Plesk
1.b Google the Error
If you find applicable error messages in your domain logs, the best place to search is Google with the error you receive + “Plesk”. Many error messages will begin with AH followed by a number for efficient search results. There are tons of help guides out there for various issues. Use our easy Plesk error search tool:
2. Restart Services
If you can’t find any applicable errors or guides, consider restarting services:
https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/12377854648087-How-to-restart-the-Plesk-service
If a restart does nothing, try a hard service restart:
3. Analyze and Optimize Databases
Check CPU and RAM usage (top in Linux or Task Manager in Windows). If there’s significant MariaDB or MySQL usage, your tables may not be optimized and there may be metadata locks:
Check for MySQL errors and show process list
Allocate RAM to MySQL and optimize tables
4. Plesk Repair Tool
If you believe that the error is due to a website misconfiguration, you can run the Plesk repair tool via CLI:
If this doesn’t sort out issues, you can consider running plesk repair all -y instead to check and fix all parts of Plesk. Note that you may need to restart services before Plesk repair is available.
5. Check Disk Space
If the services won’t start, or you can not access the Plesk web interface, it’s possible that you’ve ran out of disk space. Login to the server to view disk space.
Linux view disk space usage:
df -h
This command will show how much total and used space you have in each partition.
Windows Server view disk space usage:
Sign in to the server as an administrator. Select the Start button, and then select Settings. Select System > Storage. Alternatively, click here to open Storage.
If you’re nearly maxed out on space but have just a little left, you may be able to access https://your.servers.IP.address:8443/repair
This will bring up a repair page with a tool to clear temporary files. This is often just enough to bring back access to the Plesk panel.
Servers with full disks need to either upgrade (if possible), migrate to a larger server, or delete files through SSH, S/FTP, or Plesk File browser.
6. Check the Network
If you can’t even SSH/RDP into the server, you should check your network configuration.
To check your IPv4 settings in Linux:
ip a
This command will output your IPv4 address, Subnet mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server. If you do not see your server’s public IP address listed, it is not configured or being read by your server. Consult to your specific distribution’s documentation for configuring IP, as it differs greatly between operating systems.
To check your IPv4 settings in Windows Server:
Open File Explorer, right-click “Network” and click “Properties” from the context menu. The “Network and Sharing Center” settings window will open.
Click the “Change adapter settings” link to open the “Network Connections” settings window.
Right-click the Ethernet adapter you want to configure the IPv4 address for, and select “Properties” from the context menu.
From the Ethernet adapter Properties dialog box, select IPv4 settings from the list box, and then click the “Properties” button. Here you can see and edit your currently configured IPv4 address, Subnet mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server.
Sometimes website outages are firewall related:
Check that your server doesn’t have the applicable IPs (your IP/client IP) banned:
It may be possible it’s even a DoS/DDoS attack:
https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/12377279319703-Site-shows-ERR-CONNECTION-TIMED-OUT-
7. Open a Ticket With Plesk
If none of these guides help to resolve your issue, you may be eligible for a Plesk ticket.
First, update and upgrade Plesk to the latest build:
Please note: Anything lower than Debian 10, Ubuntu 20.04, and CentOS 7 are no longer supported. CentOS 8 is also no longer supported. Please see the following guide on upgrading versus migrating an End of Life server Operating System:
https://help.unlimitedweb.space/plesk-server-os-upgrade-vs-migration/
Next, install the Plesk support extension and/or allow Plesk IPs in your firewall:
If you get your Plesk license from your provider (such as IONOS), email them (server247@ionos.com) with the credentials supplied by opening and running the Plesk support extension (Linux server) or the Administrator credentials (Windows server), along with a detailed summary of your issues.
If you’ve purchased your Plesk license from Plesk.com, submit your ticket here: https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
If your ticket is rejected by Plesk and out of scope for your hosting provider (for example, an outdated OS), you may request Plesk Professional Services: https://www.plesk.com/professional-services/